Foe to friend?
by Megaera GaeaDeva
Summary: Steven wants so badly to help, even when he doesn't know for sure he can. Or should.
1. Chapter 1

Steven stood in the Inner Sanctum of the temple, unsure of the choice he was about to make. It could go terribly wrong in so many ways. He hung his head after thinking a moment longer, beginning to turn back the way he came when he collided with a very solid form.

"What are you doing here Steven?" the familiarly low voice of Garnet questioned.

"I'm leaving, actually. Coming here was a mistake." He replied. His eyes were looking to the right of her feet because he couldn't meet her gaze. She knelt down in front of him and lifted his face gingerly to look at her.

"I know you're scared. You are right to be. But I also see a few distinct possibilities that what you want to do will work." He looked at her stunned and wide-eyed. He always manages to forget her ability to see the future.

"So... I might be able to heal her? How likely is it she will attack me instead of letting me try?"

"She is definitely going to try. But I only see a small chance of her actually hurting you. Your training with Pearl will be invaluable." She stopped speaking for a moment and smiled. The heart of this child always shone brightest for the people and gems that are hurting. The smile faltered as it occurred to the fusion that often times he feels responsible for much of the hurt he tries so hard to heal. For the damage inflicted by or because of Rose. See could see it even now, trying to hide behind those big, sweet eyes. She pulled him into a hug, wanting to squeeze the pain and guilt of things that had nothing to do with him out of his small frame. He giggled a little, and pulled back to look at her.

"Thank you." He said earnestly. Garnet stood to her full height and Steven took a deep breath before both looked at the collection of bubbles.

"She's not here Steven." He whipped his head around to look at her face. It took of moment of puzzlement before he slapped his forehead lightly and chuckled to himself.

"Of course! She'll be in Amethyst's room! Let's go!"


	2. Chapter 2

The pair arrived in Amethyst's room, finding her sitting quietly on a slowly dwindling trash heap. She was deep in thought about something. Her body language made that clear, even though her back was to them. They started to walk towards her when a voice sounded from behind them.

"Well there you are! I've been scouring the whole temple trying to find you!" The high but not shrill voice of Pearl rang. It startled Amethyst out of her thoughts, quickly turning to face them and putting her hands behind her back.

"What are all of you doing in my room?!" Amethyst nearly shouted, still a bit shaken from the sudden intrusion.

"Well, I needed to see you all. Something very urgent needs our attention and fast." Pearl said in her cool and confident voice.

"I know what it is Pearl, but I promise you, it can wait. Steven here is on a mission but he's going to need all of us for it to succeed." Garnet smiled after her statement and looked to the young man on her right. He put a hand on the back of his head and rubbed his neck before explaining his intention to Amethyst and Pearl.

"I'm going to try to heal Jasper. I don't know if I can reach her, but I have to try." He took and deep breath and sighed. "She was hurting so much when she corrupted. And if I can show her that I'm not my mom, that... she's gone, maybe she can heal herself from there..." Steven looked on the edge of tears when he finished. Pearl started to object but was cut off with a sideways glance from Garnet.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Pearl inquired of the larger gem. "She's dangerous and unpredictable!" Pearl was nearly in a panic thinking of everything that could go wrong. Garnet placed a hand on her shoulder and simply smiled reassuringly.

"He'll be fine Pearl." She spoke softly to her. They both nodded after a moment and turned their attention to Amethyst.

"Where is Jasper's bubble?" Steven asked. She looked at the floor before bringing her hands from behind her back. It was what she had been focused on when they had intruded into her space.

"Here." Was all she said, holding the purple bubble out with one hand. Amethyst seemed deeply saddened by Jasper's fate almost as much as Steven himself. He hugged her quickly before delicately taking the bubble from her.

"Let's do this outside. It will probably be safer there." They all nodded in agreement to Steven's declaration. As they made their way to the beach, he thought long and hard about how he was going to reach her. He was looking at the bubble in his hands as if it were a crystal ball that would give him some kind of answer. Steven would have fallen down the outside stairs if Garnet hadn't caught him. They managed to reach the beach without incident. The same beach that Jasper and Lapis had become Malachite on before she dragged herself to the bottom of the ocean.

Steven turned to face the Crystal Gems. "I want you guys to stay here. I'm going to go a little bit further down before I open this bubble. You should still be able to hear everything and get to me if things... don't work out. Okay?" Garnet nodded, her face stern but kind. There was just a hint of concern at the two possibilities becoming the most likely outcomes. Pearl bobbed her head once and Amethyst followed suit. Steven nodded back before turning and walking a short distance more. He took a deep breath. He would have to be fast after releasing the bubble around Jasper's gem. The bubble burst and Steven kissed it before the corrupted form it contained appeared a in flash of light.

There stood Jasper, as large and intimidating as before except that some of her corruption had retreated. Her eyes were visible with some clarity and awareness in them. She fixed on Steven who stood just feet from her. Before she could even take a swing at him, he did the most surprising thing anybody but Garnet could imagine. He looked her in the eyes, holding a hand out to her before asking with compassion and a hint of hope in his eyes, "Jasper. Will you fuse with me?"


	3. Chapter 3

There were gasps of shock and horror from behind him.

"What are you doing?! You'll be corrupted just like she was!" Was shouted at him by Amethyst.

"We don't know that! Maybe by fusing with her to show her what she needs or is missing, her corruption will heal!" He shouted back without turning around. "Jasper, when all this is over, we have a ship from a platoon of Rubies. If you want, you could have it and go back to Homeworld." He spoke gently to her, with no deceit or humor in his offer. He watched as the corruption retracted a little more before the set of her face hardened and she shouted at him.

"You're a liar! How could you be so cruel to a defeated enemy Rose?!" Steven pulled back his hand a little, a wounded look in his eyes. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. His voice was gentle but firm when he spoke.

"I'm not Rose. I've been trying to tell you this, but you won't listen. By fusing with you, you can see for yourself. You just have to trust me long enough to fuse with me..." She had been making her way slowly towards Steven, but Jasper stopped. She looked puzzled for the first time in any of their encounters with her, the corruption creeping back just the slightest little bit. Her eyes dropped and she extended her hand/paw to him. The young gem hybrid smiled taking it, letting the larger gem take the lead. She brought him up to be eye level with her before launching into an approximation of swing dancing. After laying him across her hip and spinning, the glow of light that is a key part of fusion began. Within seconds, a new being stood before them.

They started to walk, a stumbling effort, with a hand to their head. All eyes opened. The new fusion stood and examined itself for a minute with a hint of wonder and excitement it its face. Four eyes looked over two sets of arms a single pair or normal legs. The skin of this new being was a sort of deep green with flecks are red in varying sizes. They reached behind them and brought their new hair forward. It was the same rich green with red flecks as their skin and fell in thick, loose curls. The fusion wore the equivalent of a short jean skirt with red and green-flecked leggings underneath, Steven's star shirt forming a ragged tube top around the large torso. They stood taller than Opal but not quite as tall as Sardonyx, and with just the faintest signs of the corruption carried over from Jasper. The eyes, one pair the color of Jasper's gem and the other black, landed on the stunned Crystal Gems. They all looked amazed. Before any moves could be made towards them, Steven's voice spoke while overlaid with the one belonging to the shared form.

"Now hold on. You need to trust me for a little while longer, so I can show you what you need to see."


	4. Chapter 4

Everyone stood holding their breath, watching the fusion with caution. They sat, to the surprise of two of the other three beings present. A smile edged its way onto Garnets face as two sets of hands were folded in the fashion she had taught Stevonnie. Garnet walked closer to see if she could determine how well it was going in that shared inner world...

* * *

 _"I don't understand what's going on. Is this another trick?" Jasper's gruff voice questioned. There were butterflies everywhere, and Steven wasn't sure if they were all his._

 _"I don't really know exactly how this works. I know an unstable fusion will hallucinate, but the butterflies can also show the moments from the past that are painful. I was hoping I could show you me through, well... my pain." He paused a moment, seeing shock and a touch of fear in Jasper's expression. "Is something the matter?"_

 _"These floating white things... can show the things that have hurt you?" She asked, her expression sad. And lonely. It made his heart hurt to see her like that._

 _"Yes. Things said and done, by you and to you." As he spoke, butterflies came flooding in from all directions. Much like the last time, they formed into a giant one like a butterfly-shaped viewing screen in front of Jasper, who simply tried to back away a step at a time._

 _"Jasper!" Steven yelled. He knew what she was about to go through, but he couldn't stop it. As much as he wanted to, he knew he shouldn't try. He could only try to comfort her as she confronts her pain._

* * *

Garnet sat down near the new fusion, keeping a close eye on the state of corruption. She didn't want to hurt Steven, but if it got too bad, she would attack them. But the two halves of her were very worried. There was no guarantee that seperating them would prevent the corruption from affecting him... She could only see the possible futures based on information she already has. And there was nothing in her experiences or knowledge that covered the possibilities here.

* * *

 _Steven watched moments from Jasper's life in agonizing slow-motion. Finding out her diamond was shattered. Feeling useless because they had withdrawn all Homeworld forces from Earth. Being assigned to go back with an annoying techie as her bodyguard. There were several moments he was present for. Then being part of Malachite. When they were over, she was shaking, with either pain or fury._ _He hugged her. Tried anyway. He only stood waist high and his arms weren't long enough to go all the way around. She turned her eyes down to look at him and was baffled at the tears in his eyes. 'Why would Rose cry? Over pain that isn't hers or her allies? But she claims that she isn't Rose...' she thought to herself._

 _"Okay. Show me. If you aren't Rose... I guess I'll have to figure it out." She stated. She hesitated, then tried to smile a little. She was actually kind of pretty when she smiled. He let go and stepped back, bracing himself with a deep breath. He had hoped he would never be confronted be his own pain. At least for a while. But part of him had known this was what it would take. His own giant butterfly took shape and Jasper watched, entranced, by the misfortune and suffering of Steven. She watched the conflict with Bismuth that ended with her impaled on the sword she made for Rose, the Rubies scattered to space and the time with Eyeball, she saw herself through his eyes as she attacked Amethyst, then as Smoky Quartz as they fought back, her fusion with the corruption and subsequently corrupting, But last, he tried to control in to a degree and had managed, the fight Amethyst over who was the worst. Laying there and saying "I'm not Rose Quartz." She could nearly feel the defeat in that statement. Glancing down, she saw him curled around his knees crying._

 _"Everyone expects me to be her. But I'm not. I never even got to know her. She released her form so I could exist. And I feel like... it's my fault she's not here. That everyone would be happier if she was." He sniffled, trying to keep his voice steady. "But I'm here. I didn't chose to be..." He broke then, crying quietly into his knees. She wanted to say that he deserved his suffering. But she found that the pain he's been through has had nothing to do with him and everything to do with Rose, who is somehow not this being before her. She felt a surge of anger at her old foe and a strange new emotion towards this small, unusual gem. Dropping down to one knee next to him, she clenched and relaxed her fists once, nervously, before slowly putting her arms around him. He was surprised, but hugged her back, drawing on any comfort available._


End file.
